Eyewear with integrated heads-up display

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for eyewear devices with integrated heads-up displays are provided. In one embodiment, an eyewear device provides an integrated heads-up display having a partially reflective element carried by an eyeglass lens to reflect towards the user computer-generated imagery projected on to it, while permitting the passage of light through the reflective surface in the direction of view of the user. The display mechanism further includes a cooperating projector assembly housed by a frame of the eyewear device in an overhead configuration relative to the partially reflective element. The projector assembly is housed by a top bar of the eyewear frame, with the reflective surface being housed wholly within the lens.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This application is a continuation of and claims the benefit of priorityof U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/948,081, filed on Sep. 2, 2020,which is a continuation of and claims the benefit of priority of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 16/123,853, filed on Sep. 6, 2018, nowissued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,816,805, which is a continuation of andclaims the benefit of priority of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/806,840, filed on Jul. 23, 2015, now issued as U.S. Pat. No.10,095,034, each of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein intheir entireties.

BACKGROUND

Some electronics-enabled eyewear devices, such as so-called smartglasses, include a near-eye display for displaying computer-generatedimages to a user while wearing the eyewear. Such displays are in someinstances provided by an optical head-mounted display that has thecapability of reflecting artificial images while being at leastpartially transmissive, allowing the user to look at real images fromthe ambient environment.

Integrated optical head-mounted displays are often, however, relativelybulky and often include prominent externally visible components. Thiscan adversely affect wearability, weight, and aesthetic appeal of theglasses.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various ones of the appended drawings illustrate merely exampleembodiments of the present disclosure and should not be considered aslimiting its scope.

FIG. 1 is a schematic elevational cross-section of an eyewear deviceaccording to an example embodiment, the cross-section being takentransversely through one of a pair of lenses forming part of the eyeweardevice.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view from a user's perspective of an eyeweardevice that includes a display mechanism according to an exampleembodiment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic three-dimensional view of an electronics-enabledarticle of eyewear according to another example embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a softwarearchitecture that may be installed on a machine, according to someexample embodiments.

FIG. 5 illustrates a diagrammatic representation of a machine in theform of a computer system within which a set of instructions may beexecuted for causing the machine to perform any one or more of themethodologies discussed herein, according to an example embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The description that follows discusses illustrative embodiments of thedisclosure. In the following description, for the purposes ofexplanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to providean understanding of various embodiments of the disclosed subject matter.It will be evident, however, to those skilled in the art, thatembodiments of the disclosed subject matter may be practiced withoutthese specific details. In general, well-known instruction instances,protocols, structures, and techniques are not necessarily shown indetail.

One of the aspects disclosed by the described embodiments includes anarticle of eyewear (e.g., glasses) having an integrated near-eye displaymechanism configured to display visual information in a limited displayarea corresponding more or less to a line of text extending across auser's field of view, in use. Such limitation of the display area allowsfor more effective structural integration of the display mechanism inthe article of eyewear.

In some example embodiments, the display mechanism comprises a partiallytransmissive reflector carried by a transmissive optical element, and aprojector assembly for projecting visual information to be displayed tothe user on to the transmissive reflector. In some embodiments, thetransmissive optical element comprises an eyeglass lens held before theuser's eye by an eyewear frame, the partially transmissive reflectorcomprising a partially reflective display mirror carried by the lens.

In some embodiments, the display mirror is located entirely within theassociated lens, for example being embedded within an optical mediumprovided by the lens. Note that a thickness dimension of the displaymirror (i.e., the physical extent of the display mirror in a directionsubstantially transverse to a major outer face of the lens—see forexample dimension t in FIG. 1 ) is to some extent dictated by orthogonalwidth and height dimensions of the reflective surface of the displaymirror (see for example dimensions h and w in FIG. 2 ). By limiting oneof these two orthogonal dimensions to a size corresponding to somewhatmore than a single text character readily readable by the user, thethickness dimension of the display mirror is constrained sufficiently toallow location of the display mirror wholly within the lens, withoutnecessitating the use of excessively thick lenses for the eyewear. Insome embodiments (for example, in the example embodiments describedbelow with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 ), the height dimension (h) of thedisplay mirror or reflector is limited to somewhat more than the heightof a readily legible text character, when seen from the user'sperspective when the lens is substantially at an operative distance fromthe user's eye. In some such embodiments, the near-eye display mechanismis configured to display information in a laterally or horizontallyelongate display area in which a single line of text is displayable.

In some embodiments, a cooperating projector assembly is configured toextend laterally along a top rail or bar of the eyewear frame, theprojector assembly being in register with the display mirror and beinglocated substantially above it. The projector assembly is thus in anoverhead configuration relative to the display mirror. In suchembodiments, the projector assembly may be located entirely within a topbar of a corresponding lens holder provided by the eyewear frame. Itwill thus be seen that in some embodiments, the display mechanism isphysically incorporated entirely within the structure of the article ofeyewear, so that no part of the projector assembly or the displayreflector projects from the exterior of either the eyewear frame or thelens(es).

In FIGS. 1 and 2 , reference numeral 100 generally indicates one exampleembodiment of an eyewear device. The eyewear device is in the exampleform of a pair of glasses 100 having a compact integrated near-eyedisplay mechanism 104 for providing a heads-up display.

The glasses 100 includes a frame 108 and a pair of transmissive opticalelements in the form of respective lenses 112 supported by the frame108. The lenses 112 are in this example non-corrective lenses, thereforeallowing light to pass therethrough substantially without distortion.The glasses 100 are in this example embodiment configured for outdooruse as sunglasses, so that the lenses 112 are sunglass lenses thatfilter ambient light passing therethrough on to the eyes of a user. Notethat different types of lenses or other transmissive optical elementscan, in other embodiments, be used to provide a base for the integratednear-eye display mechanism 104. For example, the display mechanism 104can in other embodiments be provided in cooperation with opticallycorrective lenses, with swimming goggles, with a head-mounted visor, orthe like.

Note also that, for clarity and brevity of description, the orientationof and spatial relationships between various elements of the glasses 100are described as being, for example, horizontal or lateral, vertical,above or below another element, and the like. These spatialrelationships and orientations are described with respect to orientationof the glasses in an idealized operative condition in which the glasses100 are borne by a user whose head is upright and level. It will beappreciated, however, that the orientation of the glasses 100 and itsvarious parts is changeable in absolute terms, and that theabove-mentioned terms describing spatial orientation of the variouscomponents are non-limiting.

As can best be seen in FIG. 2 , which shows the glasses 100 more or lessin the operative orientation from a user's perspective, the frame 108includes a pair of lens holders 116 in the example form of lens rimsbordering respective cavities within which the lenses 112 are heldcaptive. In conventional fashion, a bridge piece 206 located between thelens holders 116 is configured for resting on a nose bridge of the user,in use. When the glasses 100 are worn by the user, the lenses 112 arepositioned closely in front of the user's eyes, so that the user's fieldof view is covered substantially completely by the lenses 112. The userthus views her environment almost entirely through the transmissiveoptical elements provided by the lenses 112.

An operatively upper part of each lens holder 116 is defined by a topbar 120 that extends substantially laterally across the face of a user,typically being more or less horizontal when the glasses 100 are worn.The display mechanism 104 in this example embodiment includes aprojector assembly 124 housed by the top bar 120 of one of the lensholders 116, the projector assembly 124 being in an overheadconfiguration relative to the associated lens 112. As can be seen bothin FIGS. 1 and 2 , the display mechanism 104 further includes apartially transmissive reflector in the example form of a 50% mirror 128embedded in the lens 112 below the projector assembly 124.

In this example embodiment, the display mechanism 104 provides forasymmetrical display of information in front of only one of the user'seyes. Note, however, that other embodiments provide for respectivedisplay mirrors 128 and projector assemblies 124 in association withboth of the lenses 112. These elements can be similar to any of theoptical elements or assemblies discussed herein with respect to only theright-hand one of the lenses 112. In other words, although the displaymechanism 104 is described as providing a near-eye display for only oneeye, it is to be appreciated that other embodiments can provide for theheads-up display of visual information to both eyes of the user.

Referring again to FIG. 1 , it can be seen that the example displaymirror 128 has a curved reflective surface that is inclined relative tothe vertical such as to reflect light rays projected on to it by theprojector assembly 124 towards the eye of a user wearing the glasses100. The reflective surface of the mirror 128 is curved to focus lightemanating from the projector assembly 124 at a point corresponding moreor less to the user's pupil. In this way, a virtual image representingvisual information generated by the projector assembly 124 is presentedto the user, providing a near-eye display for displaying visualinformation to the user. The virtual image of the near-eye displayappears to the user to be located in a display area 212 (see FIG. 2 )corresponding to location of the mirror 128 in the lens 112, when seenin projection from the perspective of the user (i.e., corresponding tothe view of FIG. 2 ).

In the current example embodiment, the display area 212 is elongate,having an aspect ratio of about 12:1, and extends laterally across theuser's field of view. A width dimension (w) of the display area 212 isthus oriented more or less horizontally when the glasses 100 are level,as is the case in the example view of FIG. 2 .

The display area 212 is in this example located centrally in the lateralextent of the associated lens 112, corresponding to about three quartersof the width of the lens 112. The display area 212 is therefore in thisexample embodiment located more or less centrally within the field ofview of the user, both horizontally and vertically. In other exampleembodiments, the mirror 128 may be oriented and/or configured such thatthe display area 212 is horizontally and/or vertically offset from acentral portion of the user's field of view. Instead, or in addition,the display area 212 can in other embodiments extendhorizontally/laterally for a smaller portion of the user's visual span.In other embodiments, the display area 212 extends across the entiretyof the lateral width of the lens 112.

Turning again to FIG. 1 , it can be seen that the projector assembly 124in this example embodiment comprises a display matrix or display panel132 sandwiched between an illumination subassembly 136 and an opticssubassembly 140. The illumination subassembly 136 provides backlightingfor the display panel 132. The optics subassembly 140 comprises lensesand filters configured to condition and direct light emitted by thedisplay panel 132 onto the reflective surface of the display mirror 128.In this example embodiment, the display panel 132 is a liquid crystaldisplay (LCD), but in other embodiments the display panel 132 may be ofany other suitable type, for example being a liquid crystal on silicon(LCOS) display, an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display, or anyother such display. The optics subassembly 140 can in some embodimentsinclude lenses, optical coatings, prisms, mirrors, waveguides,holograms, spatial light modulators, and other optical components invarious combinations.

In this example embodiment, the display mirror 128 is embedded whollywithin the optical material of the lens 112. Referring again to FIG. 1 ,it will be seen that the lens 112 has a pair of oppositely outwardlyfacing major outer faces 144 connected by a peripheral edge face 148extending transversely between the major outer faces 144 at theperiphery of the lens 112. Thus, in this example embodiment, the displaymirror 128 is located between the major outer faces 144 of the lens 112,and does not protrude from the smooth major outer faces of the lens 112.As a result, the lens assembly comprising the lens 112 and the displaymirror 128 is superficially similar in appearance to analogous eyeglasslenses without an integrated display element.

It will be appreciated that, to allow location of the display mirror 128wholly within the lens 112, a thickness dimension (t) of the displaymirror 128 is somewhat smaller than a corresponding thickness dimensionof the lens 112. With reference to FIG. 1 , it will be understood thatthe thickness dimension of the lens 112 is defined by the transversedistance between the major faces 144 of the lens 112. In this exampleembodiment, the thickness of the lens 112 is about 6 mm, the thickness(t) of the display mirror 128 is about 6 mm (although being fractionallysmaller that the thickness of the lens), and a related height dimension(h) is about 6 mm. The values for these dimensions for some otherexample embodiments vary between 2 mm and 10 mm.

The projector assembly 124 is housed in the top bar 120 of the eyewearframe 108 such that photons and light emitted by the projector assembly124 enter the optical medium provided by the lens 112 at an operativelytop portion of the edge face 148. Such beams of light or photonsthereafter travel via the optical medium provided by the lens 112 ontothe reflective curved surface of the display mirror 128. The displaymirror 128 changes the direction of light impinging there on so that ittravels more or less horizontally, exiting the lens 112 at an inner oneof the major faces 144 (i.e., the major face 144 of the lens 112 closestto the user) towards the user's eye. The various optical components ofthe optics subassembly 140 can be sized and shaped to magnify the imageprojected by the display panel 132, so that the image viewed by the userfrom the convex reflective surface of the display mirror 128 is largerin one or more dimensions than the image emitted from the display panel132.

Note that the display mirror 128 is at least partially transparent inthe direction of its thickness dimension. Light that travels from theenvironment across the thickness dimension of the lens 112 and that iscoincident with the display mirror 128 thus travels at least partiallythrough the display mirror 128 and onto the user's eye. The user is thusafforded a substantially unimpeded view of the environment through thedisplay mirror 128 when no information is displayed thereon. As isillustrated schematically in FIG. 2 , the optical characteristics of thelens 112 and the display mirror 128 are in this example embodimentselected such that, to the user, the display mirror 128 is visuallysubstantially indistinct from the lens 112 by which it is carried.Phrased differently, the display mirror 128 is substantially invisibleto the user.

The projector assembly 124 is connected to controlling circuitry in theexample form of a computer system 152 incorporated in the frame 108 ofthe glasses 100 (see FIG. 1 ). In this example embodiment, electroniccomponents of the computer system 152 are housed in one or more lateralend pieces 156 of the eyewear frame 108. The computer system 152 isconnected to the display panel 132 of the projector assembly 124 tocontrol display of the computer-generated imagery projected by theprojector assembly 124 onto the display mirror 128. In the embodiment ofFIG. 2 , the computer system 152 is powered by a suitable rechargeablebattery (not shown), integrated in the eyewear frame 108. In someembodiments, some components of the computer system 152 (for example,the rechargeable battery) can be incorporated in one or more of thetemples 160 of the frame 108.

In this example embodiment, the computer system 152 of the glasses 100is provided primarily for controlling the display of text communicationsvia the display mechanism 104. The electronics-enabled glasses 100 isthus in this example embodiment configured to serve as a peripheraldevice for use with a master mobile electronic device, such as asmartphone, carried by the user and wirelessly coupled to the computersystem 152 of the glasses 100. The computer system 152 may furtherinclude one or more sensors mounted on the eyewear frame 108 andcommunicatively coupled to the controlling mobile electronic deviceand/or to one or more processors forming part of the computer system152.

In other embodiments, the computer system 152 of the glasses 100 is afully enabled independent onboard computer system to provide multiplecomputing and communication functions independently from a separatemobile electronic device. The glasses 100 may in some of theseembodiments be configured to function as a wearable smartphone. In someembodiments, the glasses 100 may further include one or more integratedonboard cameras mounted on the frame 108. In some such embodiments, thecamera(s) may be operatively connected to the display mechanism 104(e.g., via the computer system 152) to enable heads-up display via thenear-eye display mechanism 104 of visual information captured by thecamera(s).

In this example embodiment, the display mechanism 104 and computersystem 152 of the glasses 100 are configured to provide exclusively fordisplay of text characters in the heads-up display. Moreover, theoptical display mechanism 104 and the display mirror 128 are shaped andconfigured such as to provide for heads-up display, via the displaymirror 128, of only a single line of text characters. “Text characters”mean graphical characters forming part of a predefined set ofcharacters, graphic symbols, or graphic devices available for display.Such a set of available symbols may be provided, in isolation or incombination, by one or more extended character sets including, forexample, Unicode characters, ASCII characters, emoticon sets, and thelike. In other embodiments, the display panel 132 and controllingelectronics may be configured to provide also for non-text display,e.g., to display computer-generated graphical information such as, say,exercise graphs, health information graphs, statistical information,animated images, and the like.

Yet further, the projector assembly 124 is in this example embodimentconfigured for providing a monochrome display, so that the line of textdisplayed to apparently be superimposed on the lens 112 is invariably ina single, consistent color. In other embodiments, the projector assembly124 may be configured for providing multi-color display, the displaypanel 132 for example being an RGB LCD.

A benefit of providing for a monochrome display limited to the displayof text characters as in the described example embodiment is that itallows for increased compactness of electronic components of the displaymechanism 124 and or the onboard computer system 152. This facilitatesstructural integration of these components into the frame 108 withoutsignificant adverse effects to the size, weight, and/or appearance ofthe glasses 100. Note, however, that some embodiments provide for suchcomprehensive structural integration of the display- and computercomponents while providing for greater display options and/or formulticolor display.

As will be evident from the description herein, the optical head-mounteddisplay provided by the integrated display mechanism 104 provides fordisplay of information overlaid on a view of the ambient environmentvisible to the user through the lenses 112. This is because the displaymirror 128 is partially reflective, allowing passage of sufficient lightthrough the display mirror 128 in a direction transverse to the lens 112to allow substantially unimpeded view of the surroundings. Thus, when noinformation is displayed to the user by the display mechanism 104, theglasses 100 are usable in conventional fashion, with little orsubstantially no obstruction of the user's view.

When, however, information is to be displayed to the user by the displaymechanism 104, the relevant text characters are projected by theprojector assembly 124 onto the display mirror 128 and are visible tothe user via the display mirror 128. In the example embodiment of FIG. 2, for example, contemporary information about a user's ongoing outdooractivities are displayed on the near-eye display in the form of aone-line text message 222 appearing centrally in the user's field ofview. Because the vertical extent of the text message 222 is limited,the user can read the message 222 without having to divert visualattention from the ambient surroundings.

Benefits of the example glasses 100 include that the display mechanism104 is integrated in an apparently conventional structure of the eyewearframe 108 and lenses 112, with minimal exterior features thatprominently distinguish the glasses 100 from similar eyewear having nointegrated display. This is achieved partly by limiting the heightdimension (h) of the display mirror 128, which in the example embodimentof FIGS. 1 and 2 enables location of the display mirror 128 whollywithin the corresponding lens 112. It will be appreciated that, in theconfiguration of the described example embodiments, the thicknessdimension (t) of the display mirror 128 is proportional to the verticaldimension (h) of the display area 212 to be provided by the mirror 128.Limitation of the height dimension of the display area 212, to providean elongate laterally extending display area 212 (e.g., limited tosingle line of text) allows for the display mirror 128 to have athickness dimension (t) sufficiently small for location within a lens112 that is not excessively thick.

Some benefits stemming from the provision of a display image reflectoror redirector such as the exemplified display mirror 128 can also berealized in embodiments where the reflector is located at leastpartially outside of the optical medium of the lens 112. In one exampleembodiment, a reflector similar or analogous to the described displaymirror 128 may be located on the inner or outer major face of the lens112, but having a thickness dimension substantially smaller than wouldhave been the case if a display area with conventional aspect ratio(e.g., 16:9, 4:3, or the like) were to be provided. This allows for aless prominent integrated display for electronics-enabled glasses, andtherefore allows for display-enabled glasses that are less bulky andaesthetically more pleasing than is the case with existing models.

FIG. 3 shows a front perspective view of glasses 31 in which anintegrated near eye display mechanism similar or analogous to thatdescribed with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 can be provided in accordancewith certain embodiments. The glasses 31 can include a frame 32 madefrom any suitable material such as plastic or metal, including anysuitable shape memory alloy. The frame 32 can have a front piece 33 thatcan include a first or left lens, display or optical element holder 36and a second or right lens, display or optical element holder 37connected by a bridge 38. The front piece 33 additionally includes aleft end portion 41 and a right end portion 42. A first or left opticalelement 43 and a second or right optical element 44 can be providedwithin respective left and right optical element holders 36, 37. Each ofthe optical elements 43, 44 can be a lens, a display, a display assemblyor a combination of the foregoing. Any of the display assembliesdisclosed herein can be provided in the glasses 31.

Frame 32 additionally includes a left arm or temple piece 46 and asecond arm or temple piece 47 coupled to the respective left and rightend portions 41, 42 of the front piece 33 by any suitable means such asa hinge (not shown), so as to be coupled to the front piece 33, orrigidly or fixably secured to the front piece so as to be integral withthe front piece 33. Each of the temple pieces 46 and 47 can include afirst portion 51 that is coupled to the respective end portion 41 or 42of the front piece 33 and any suitable second portion 52, such as curvedor arcuate piece, for coupling to the ear of the user. In one embodimentthe front piece 33 can be formed from a single piece of material, so asto have a unitary or integral construction. In one embodiment, such asillustrated in FIG. 1 , the entire frame 32 can be formed from a singlepiece of material so as to have a unitary or integral construction.

Glasses 31 can include a computing device, such as computer 61, whichcan be of any suitable type so as to be carried by the frame 32 and, inone embodiment of a suitable size and shape, so as to be at leastpartially disposed in one of the temple pieces 46 and 47. In oneembodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 3 , the computer 61 is sized andshaped similar to the size and shape of one of the temple pieces 46, 47and is thus disposed almost entirely if not entirely within thestructure and confines of such temple pieces 46 and 47. In oneembodiment, the computer 61 can be disposed in both of the temple pieces46, 47. The computer 61 can include one or more processors with memory,wireless communication circuitry, and a power source. As describedabove, the computer 61 comprises low-power circuitry, high-speedcircuitry, and a display processor. Various other embodiments mayinclude these elements in different configurations or integratedtogether in different ways. Additional details of aspects of computer 61may be implemented as described with reference to display mechanism 104above.

The computer 61 additionally includes a battery 62 or other suitableportable power supply. In one embodiment, the battery 62 is disposed inone of the temple pieces 46 or 47. In the glasses 31 shown in FIG. 3 thebattery 62 is shown as being disposed in left temple piece 46 andelectrically coupled using connection 74 to the remainder of thecomputer 61 disposed in the right temple piece 47. The one or more inputand output devices can include a connector or port (not shown) suitablefor charging a battery 62 accessible from the outside of frame 32, awireless receiver, transmitter or transceiver (not shown) or acombination of such devices.

Glasses 31 include cameras 69. Although two cameras are depicted, otherembodiments contemplate the use of a single or additional (i.e., morethan two) cameras. Some embodiments provide for glasses 31 without anycameras. In various embodiments, glasses 31 may include any number ofinput sensors or peripheral devices in addition to cameras 69. Frontpiece 33 is provided with an outward facing, forward-facing or front orouter surface 66 that faces forward or away from the user when theglasses 31 are mounted on the face of the user, and an oppositeinward-facing, rearward-facing or rear or inner surface 67 that facesthe face of the user when the glasses 31 are mounted on the face of theuser. Such sensors can include inwardly-facing video sensors or digitalimaging modules such as cameras that can be mounted on or providedwithin the inner surface 67 of the front piece 33 or elsewhere on theframe 32 so as to be facing the user, and outwardly-facing video sensorsor digital imaging modules such as cameras 69 that can be mounted on orprovided with the outer surface 66 of the front piece 33 or elsewhere onthe frame 32 so as to be facing away from the user. Such sensors,peripheral devices or peripherals can additionally include biometricsensors, location sensors, or any other such sensors.

EXAMPLE MACHINE AND HARDWARE COMPONENTS

The example eyewear device described above may incorporate variouscomputer components or machine elements, at least some of which areconfigured for performing automated operations and/or for automaticallyproviding various functionalities. These include, for example, displayfunctionalities provided by the display mechanism 104 of glasses 100. Asdiscussed previously, the glasses 100, 31 may provide an independentcomputer system. Instead, or in addition, the glasses 100, 31 may formpart of a distributed system including on ore more off-board processorsand/or devices. It is to be understood that the description of examplehardware and software architecture and components applies to someembodiments of electronics-enabled eyewear devices in isolation, tooff-board components cooperating with such eyewear devices, or to suchan eyewear device and supporting off-board components in combination, asthe case may be.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram 900 illustrating an architecture of software902, which can be installed on any one or more of the devices describedabove. FIG. 4 is merely a non-limiting example of a softwarearchitecture, and it will be appreciated that many other architecturescan be implemented to facilitate the functionality described herein. Invarious embodiments, the software 902 is implemented by hardware such asmachine 1100 of FIG. 5 that includes processors 1110, memory 1130, andI/O components 1150. In this example architecture, the software 902 canbe conceptualized as a stack of layers where each layer may provide aparticular functionality. For example, the software 902 includes layerssuch as an operating system 904, libraries 906, frameworks 908, andapplications 910. Operationally, the applications 910 invoke applicationprogramming interface (API) calls 912 through the software stack andreceive messages 914 in response to the API calls 912, consistent withsome embodiments. In various embodiments, any client device, servercomputer of a server system, or any other device described herein mayoperate using elements of software 902. Devices such as the computersystem 152 and display mechanism 104, as described earlier, mayadditionally be implemented using aspects of software 902.

In various implementations, the operating system 904 manages hardwareresources and provides common services. The operating system 904includes, for example, a kernel 920, services 922, and drivers 924. Thekernel 920 acts as an abstraction layer between the hardware and theother software layers consistent with some embodiments. For example, thekernel 920 provides memory management, processor management (e.g.,scheduling), component management, networking, and security settings,among other functionality. The services 922 can provide other commonservices for the other software layers. The drivers 924 are responsiblefor controlling or interfacing with the underlying hardware, accordingto some embodiments. For instance, the drivers 924 can include displaydrivers, camera drivers, BLUETOOTH® or BLUETOOTH® Low Energy drivers,flash memory drivers, serial communication drivers (e.g., UniversalSerial Bus (USB) drivers), WI-FI® drivers, audio drivers, powermanagement drivers, and so forth. In certain implementations of a devicesuch as the display mechanism 104 of smart glasses 100, low-powercircuitry may operate using drivers 924 that only contain BLUETOOTH® LowEnergy drivers and basic logic for managing communications andcontrolling other devices, with other drivers operating with high-speedcircuitry.

In some embodiments, the libraries 906 provide a low-level commoninfrastructure utilized by the applications 910. The libraries 906 caninclude system libraries 930 (e.g., C standard library) that can providefunctions such as memory allocation functions, string manipulationfunctions, mathematic functions, and the like. In addition, thelibraries 906 can include API libraries 932 such as media libraries(e.g., libraries to support presentation and manipulation of variousmedia formats such as Moving Picture Experts Group-4 (MPEG4), AdvancedVideo Coding (H.264 or AVC), Moving Picture Experts Group Layer-3 (MP3),Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), Adaptive Multi-Rate (AMR) audio codec,Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG or JPG), or Portable NetworkGraphics (PNG)), graphics libraries (e.g., an OpenGL framework used torender in two dimensions (2D) and three dimensions (3D) in a graphiccontent on a display), database libraries (e.g., SQLite to providevarious relational database functions), web libraries (e.g., WebKit toprovide web browsing functionality), and the like. The libraries 906 canalso include a wide variety of other libraries 934 to provide many otherAPIs to the applications 910.

The frameworks 908 provide a high-level common infrastructure that canbe utilized by the applications 910, according to some embodiments. Forexample, the frameworks 908 provide various graphic user interface (GUI)functions, high-level resource management, high-level location services,and so forth. The frameworks 908 can provide a broad spectrum of otherAPIs that can be utilized by the applications 910, some of which may bespecific to a particular operating system or platform.

In an example embodiment, the applications 910 include a homeapplication 950, a contacts application 952, a browser application 954,a book reader application 956, a location application 958, a mediaapplication 960, a messaging application 962, a game application 964,and a broad assortment of other applications such as a third partyapplication 966. According to some embodiments, the applications 910 areprograms that execute functions defined in the programs. Variousprogramming languages can be employed to create one or more of theapplications 910, structured in a variety of manners, such asobject-oriented programming languages (e.g., Objective-C, Java, or C++)or procedural programming languages (e.g., C or assembly language). In aspecific example, the third party application 966 (e.g., an applicationdeveloped using the ANDROID™ or IOS™ software development kit (SDK) byan entity other than the vendor of the particular platform) may bemobile software running on a mobile operating system such as IOS™,ANDROID™, WINDOWS® Phone, or another mobile operating systems. In thisexample, the third party application 966 can invoke the API calls 912provided by the operating system 904 to facilitate functionalitydescribed herein.

Embodiments described herein may particularly interact with a displayapplication 967. Such an application 967 may interact with I/Ocomponents 1150 to establish various wireless connections with devicessuch as the display mechanism 104 of glasses 100. Display application967 may communicate with the display mechanism 104 to automaticallycontrol display of computer-generated information via display mechanism104.

Certain embodiments are described herein as including logic or a numberof components, modules, elements, or mechanisms. Such modules canconstitute either software modules (e.g., code embodied on amachine-readable medium or in a transmission signal) or hardwaremodules. A “hardware module” is a tangible unit capable of performingcertain operations and can be configured or arranged in a certainphysical manner. In various example embodiments, one or more computersystems (e.g., a standalone computer system, a client computer system,or a server computer system) or one or more hardware modules of acomputer system (e.g., a processor or a group of processors) isconfigured by software (e.g., an application or application portion) asa hardware module that operates to perform certain operations asdescribed herein.

In some embodiments, a hardware module is implemented mechanically,electronically, or any suitable combination thereof. For example, ahardware module can include dedicated circuitry or logic that ispermanently configured to perform certain operations. For example, ahardware module can be a special-purpose processor, such as aField-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or an Application SpecificIntegrated Circuit (ASIC). A hardware module may also includeprogrammable logic or circuitry that is temporarily configured bysoftware to perform certain operations. For example, a hardware modulecan include software encompassed within a general-purpose processor orother programmable processor. It will be appreciated that the decisionto implement a hardware module mechanically, in dedicated andpermanently configured circuitry, or in temporarily configured circuitry(e.g., configured by software) can be driven by cost and timeconsiderations.

Accordingly, the phrase “hardware module” should be understood toencompass a tangible entity, be that an entity that is physicallyconstructed, permanently configured (e.g., hardwired), or temporarilyconfigured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a certain manner or toperform certain operations described herein. As used herein,“hardware-implemented module” refers to a hardware module. Consideringembodiments in which hardware modules are temporarily configured (e.g.,programmed), each of the hardware modules need not be configured orinstantiated at any one instance in time. For example, where a hardwaremodule comprises a general-purpose processor configured by software tobecome a special-purpose processor, the general-purpose processor may beconfigured as respectively different special-purpose processors (e.g.,comprising different hardware modules) at different times. Software canaccordingly configure a particular processor or processors, for example,to constitute a particular hardware module at one instance of time andto constitute a different hardware module at a different instance oftime.

Hardware modules can provide information to, and receive informationfrom, other hardware modules. Accordingly, the described hardwaremodules can be regarded as being communicatively coupled. Where multiplehardware modules exist contemporaneously, communications can be achievedthrough signal transmission (e.g., over appropriate circuits and buses)between or among two or more of the hardware modules. In embodiments inwhich multiple hardware modules are configured or instantiated atdifferent times, communications between such hardware modules may beachieved, for example, through the storage and retrieval of informationin memory structures to which the multiple hardware modules have access.For example, one hardware module performs an operation and stores theoutput of that operation in a memory device to which it iscommunicatively coupled. A further hardware module can then, at a latertime, access the memory device to retrieve and process the storedoutput. Hardware modules can also initiate communications with input oroutput devices, and can operate on a resource (e.g., a collection ofinformation).

The various operations of example methods described herein can beperformed, at least partially, by one or more processors that aretemporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently configured toperform the relevant operations. Whether temporarily or permanentlyconfigured, such processors constitute processor-implemented modulesthat operate to perform one or more operations or functions describedherein. As used herein, “processor-implemented module” refers to ahardware module implemented using one or more processors.

Similarly, the methods described herein can be at least partiallyprocessor-implemented, with a particular processor or processors beingan example of hardware. For example, at least some of the operations ofa method can be performed by one or more processors orprocessor-implemented modules. Moreover, the one or more processors mayalso operate to support performance of the relevant operations in a“cloud computing” environment or as a “software as a service” (SaaS).For example, at least some of the operations may be performed by a groupof computers (as examples of machines including processors), with theseoperations being accessible via a network (e.g., the Internet) and viaone or more appropriate interfaces (e.g., an Application ProgramInterface (API)). In certain embodiments, for example, a client devicemay relay or operate in communication with cloud computing systems, andmay store media content such as images or videos generated by devicesdescribed herein in a cloud environment.

The performance of certain of the operations may be distributed amongthe processors, not only residing within a single machine, but deployedacross a number of machines. In some example embodiments, the processorsor processor-implemented modules are located in a single geographiclocation (e.g., within a home environment, an office environment, or aserver farm). In other example embodiments, the processors orprocessor-implemented modules are distributed across a number ofgeographic locations.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating components of a machine 1100,according to some embodiments, able to read instructions from amachine-readable medium (e.g., a machine-readable storage medium) andperform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein.Specifically, FIG. 5 shows a diagrammatic representation of the machine1100 in the example form of a computer system, within which instructions1116 (e.g., software, a program, an application, an applet, an app, orother executable code) for causing the machine 1100 to perform any oneor more of the methodologies discussed herein can be executed. Inalternative embodiments, the machine 1100 operates as a standalonedevice or can be coupled (e.g., networked) to other machines. In anetworked deployment, the machine 1100 may operate in the capacity of aserver machine or a client machine in a server-client networkenvironment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed)network environment. The machine 1100 can comprise, but not be limitedto, a server computer, a client computer, a personal computer (PC), atablet computer, a laptop computer, a netbook, a set-top box (STB), apersonal digital assistant (PDA), an entertainment media system, acellular telephone, a smart phone, a mobile device, a wearable device(e.g., a smart watch), a smart home device (e.g., a smart appliance),other smart devices, a web appliance, a network router, a networkswitch, a network bridge, or any machine capable of executing theinstructions 1116, sequentially or otherwise, that specify actions to betaken by the machine 1100. Further, while only a single machine 1100 isillustrated, the term “machine” shall also be taken to include acollection of machines 1100 that individually or jointly execute theinstructions 1116 to perform any one or more of the methodologiesdiscussed herein.

In various embodiments, the machine 1100 comprises processors 1110,memory 1130, and I/O components 1150, which can be configured tocommunicate with each other via a bus 1102. In an example embodiment,the processors 1110 (e.g., a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a ReducedInstruction Set Computing (RISC) processor, a Complex Instruction SetComputing (CISC) processor, a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), a DigitalSignal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit(ASIC), a Radio-Frequency Integrated Circuit (RFIC), another processor,or any suitable combination thereof) include, for example, a processor1112 and a processor 1114 that may execute the instructions 1116. Theterm “processor” is intended to include multi-core processors that maycomprise two or more independent processors (also referred to as“cores”) that can execute instructions contemporaneously. Although FIG.5 shows multiple processors 1110, the machine 1100 may include a singleprocessor with a single core, a single processor with multiple cores(e.g., a multi-core processor), multiple processors with a single core,multiple processors with multiples cores, or any combination thereof.

The memory 1130 comprises a main memory 1132, a static memory 1134, anda storage unit 1136 accessible to the processors 1110 via the bus 1102,according to some embodiments. The storage unit 1136 can include amachine-readable medium 1138 on which are stored the instructions 1116embodying any one or more of the methodologies or functions describedherein. The instructions 1116 can also reside, completely or at leastpartially, within the main memory 1132, within the static memory 1134,within at least one of the processors 1110 (e.g., within the processor'scache memory), or any suitable combination thereof, during executionthereof by the machine 1100. Accordingly, in various embodiments, themain memory 1132, the static memory 1134, and the processors 1110 areconsidered machine-readable media 1138.

As used herein, the term “memory” refers to a machine-readable medium1138 able to store data temporarily or permanently and may be taken toinclude, but not be limited to, random-access memory (RAM), read-onlymemory (ROM), buffer memory, flash memory, and cache memory. While themachine-readable medium 1138 is shown in an example embodiment to be asingle medium, the term “machine-readable medium” should be taken toinclude a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized ordistributed database, or associated caches and servers) able to storethe instructions 1116. The term “machine-readable medium” shall also betaken to include any medium, or combination of multiple media, that iscapable of storing instructions (e.g., instructions 1116) for executionby a machine (e.g., machine 1100), such that the instructions, whenexecuted by one or more processors of the machine 1100 (e.g., processors1110), cause the machine 1100 to perform any one or more of themethodologies described herein. Accordingly, a “machine-readable medium”refers to a single storage apparatus or device, as well as “cloud-based”storage systems or storage networks that include multiple storageapparatus or devices. The term “machine-readable medium” shallaccordingly be taken to include, but not be limited to, one or more datarepositories in the form of a solid-state memory (e.g., flash memory),an optical medium, a magnetic medium, other non-volatile memory (e.g.,Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM)), or any suitablecombination thereof. The term “machine-readable medium” specificallyexcludes non-statutory signals per se.

The I/O components 1150 include a wide variety of components to receiveinput, provide output, produce output, transmit information, exchangeinformation, capture measurements, and so on. In general, it will beappreciated that the I/O components 1150 can include many othercomponents that are not shown in FIG. 5 . The I/O components 1150 aregrouped according to functionality merely for simplifying the followingdiscussion, and the grouping is in no way limiting. In various exampleembodiments, the I/O components 1150 include output components 1152 andinput components 1154. The output components 1152 include visualcomponents (e.g., a display such as a plasma display panel (PDP), alight emitting diode (LED) display, a liquid crystal display (LCD), aprojector, or a cathode ray tube (CRT)), acoustic components (e.g.,speakers), haptic components (e.g., a vibratory motor), other signalgenerators, and so forth. The input components 1154 include alphanumericinput components (e.g., a keyboard, a touch screen configured to receivealphanumeric input, a photo-optical keyboard, or other alphanumericinput components), point-based input components (e.g., a mouse, atouchpad, a trackball, a joystick, a motion sensor, or other pointinginstruments), tactile input components (e.g., a physical button, a touchscreen that provides location and force of touches or touch gestures, orother tactile input components), audio input components (e.g., amicrophone), and the like.

In some further example embodiments, the I/O components 1150 includebiometric components 1156, motion components 1158, environmentalcomponents 1160, or position components 1162, among a wide array ofother components. For example, the biometric components 1156 includecomponents to detect expressions (e.g., hand expressions, facialexpressions, vocal expressions, body gestures, or eye tracking), measurebiosignals (e.g., blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature,perspiration, or brain waves), identify a person (e.g., voiceidentification, retinal identification, facial identification,fingerprint identification, or electroencephalogram basedidentification), and the like. The motion components 1158 includeacceleration sensor components (e.g., accelerometer), gravitation sensorcomponents, rotation sensor components (e.g., gyroscope), and so forth.The environmental components 1160 include, for example, illuminationsensor components (e.g., photometer), temperature sensor components(e.g., one or more thermometers that detect ambient temperature),humidity sensor components, pressure sensor components (e.g.,barometer), acoustic sensor components (e.g., one or more microphonesthat detect background noise), proximity sensor components (e.g.,infrared sensors that detect nearby objects), gas sensor components(e.g., machine olfaction detection sensors, gas detection sensors todetect concentrations of hazardous gases for safety or to measurepollutants in the atmosphere), or other components that may provideindications, measurements, or signals corresponding to a surroundingphysical environment. The position components 1162 include locationsensor components (e.g., a Global Positioning System (GPS) receivercomponent), altitude sensor components (e.g., altimeters or barometersthat detect air pressure from which altitude may be derived),orientation sensor components (e.g., magnetometers), and the like.

Communication can be implemented using a wide variety of technologies.The I/O components 1150 may include communication components 1164operable to couple the machine 1100 to a network 1180 or devices 1170via a coupling 1182 and a coupling 1172, respectively. For example, thecommunication components 1164 include a network interface component oranother suitable device to interface with the network 1180. In furtherexamples, communication components 1164 include wired communicationcomponents, wireless communication components, cellular communicationcomponents, Near Field Communication (NFC) components, BLUETOOTH®components (e.g., BLUETOOTH® Low Energy), WI-FI® components, and othercommunication components to provide communication via other modalities.The devices 1170 may be another machine or any of a wide variety ofperipheral devices (e.g., a peripheral device coupled via a UniversalSerial Bus (USB)).

Moreover, in some embodiments, the communication components 1164 detectidentifiers or include components operable to detect identifiers. Forexample, the communication components 1164 include Radio FrequencyIdentification (RFID) tag reader components, NFC smart tag detectioncomponents, optical reader components (e.g., an optical sensor to detecta one-dimensional bar codes such as a Universal Product Code (UPC) barcode, multi-dimensional bar codes such as a Quick Response (QR) code,Aztec Code, Data Matrix, Dataglyph, MaxiCode, PDF417, Ultra Code,Uniform Commercial Code Reduced Space Symbology (UCC RSS)-2D bar codes,and other optical codes), acoustic detection components (e.g.,microphones to identify tagged audio signals), or any suitablecombination thereof. In addition, a variety of information can bederived via the communication components 1164, such as location viaInternet Protocol (IP) geo-location, location via WI-FI® signaltriangulation, location via detecting an BLUETOOTH® or NFC beacon signalthat may indicate a particular location, and so forth.

Transmission Medium

In various example embodiments, one or more portions of the network 1180can be an ad hoc network, an intranet, an extranet, a virtual privatenetwork (VPN), a local area network (LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a widearea network (WAN), a wireless WAN (WWAN), a metropolitan area network(MAN), the Internet, a portion of the Internet, a portion of the PublicSwitched Telephone Network (PSTN), a plain old telephone service (POTS)network, a cellular telephone network, a wireless network, a WI-FI®network, another type of network, or a combination of two or more suchnetworks. For example, the network 1180 or a portion of the network 1180may include a wireless or cellular network, and the coupling 1182 may bea Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) connection, a Global System forMobile communications (GSM) connection, or another type of cellular orwireless coupling. In this example, the coupling 1182 can implement anyof a variety of types of data transfer technology, such as SingleCarrier Radio Transmission Technology (1×RTT), Evolution-Data Optimized(EVDO) technology, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) technology,Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) technology, thirdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) including 3G, fourth generationwireless (4G) networks, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System(UMTS), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Worldwide Interoperability forMicrowave Access (WiMAX), Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard, othersdefined by various standard-setting organizations, other long rangeprotocols, or other data transfer technology.

In example embodiments, the instructions 1116 are transmitted orreceived over the network 1180 using a transmission medium via a networkinterface device (e.g., a network interface component included in thecommunication components 1164) and utilizing any one of a number ofwell-known transfer protocols (e.g., Hypertext Transfer Protocol(HTTP)). Similarly, in other example embodiments, the instructions 1116are transmitted or received using a transmission medium via the coupling1172 (e.g., a peer-to-peer coupling) to the devices 1170. The term“transmission medium” shall be taken to include any intangible mediumthat is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying the instructions 1116for execution by the machine 1100, and includes digital or analogcommunications signals or other intangible media to facilitatecommunication of such software.

Furthermore, the machine-readable medium 1138 is non-transitory (inother words, not having any transitory signals) in that it does notembody a propagating signal. However, labeling the machine-readablemedium 1138 “non-transitory” should not be construed to mean that themedium is incapable of movement; the medium 1138 should be considered asbeing transportable from one physical location to another. Additionally,since the machine-readable medium 1138 is tangible, the medium 1138 maybe considered to be a machine-readable device.

1. (canceled)
 2. An eyewear device comprising: an eyewear frameconfigured for head-mounted wear; a lens mounted on the eyewear frame tooccupy a field of view a wearer of the eyewear device, the lensproviding an optical medium for display light traveling within the lens,and the lens being transmissive to ambient light; and an integratednear-eye display mechanism configured to display visual information tothe wearer, the display mechanism comprising: a display structure thatis located within the lens and that is configured to direct into view ofthe wearer display light incident thereon while traveling within theoptical medium provided by the lens, the display structure beingtransmissive to ambient light traveling through the lens; and aprojector that is housed by the eyewear frame and that is configured toproject display light for computer-generated imagery directly into theoptical medium, such that the display light travels via the opticalmedium provided by the lens on to the display structure, from where thedisplay light is directed by the display structure towards the wearer.3. The eyewear device of claim 2, wherein projector and the lens arearranged such that the display light travels from the projector on tothe display structure exclusively via the optical medium provided by thelens.
 4. The eyewear device of claim 2, wherein the lens forms part of apair of lenses held by the eyewear frame for respective eyes of thewearer, and wherein both of the pair of lenses are display-enabled, eachlens having embedded therein a respective display structure.
 5. Theeyewear device of claim 2, wherein a volume of the lens that providesthe optical medium is bounded by a pair of substantially parallel majorfaces that are oriented transversely to a viewing direction through thelens, direction of travel of the display light within the optical mediumbeing substantially parallel to the pair of major faces.
 6. The eyeweardevice of claim 5, wherein the display structure is embedded whollywithin the optical medium of the display-enabled lens, no part of thedisplay structure projecting from either or the pair of major faces ofthe lens.
 7. The eyewear device of claim 5, wherein the projector isintegrated in the eyewear frame, being obscured by the eyewear framefrom external view.
 8. The eyewear device of claim 7, wherein theprojector is housed by the eyewear frame such as to be located, from thewearer's perspective during wear, substantially above the displaystructure.
 9. The eyewear device of claim 8, wherein the eyewear framecomprises a top bar extending substantially laterally along anoperatively upper portion of a peripheral edge face of the lens, theprojector being housed within the top bar of the eyewear frame.
 10. Theeyewear device of claim 9, wherein the projector is located entirelywithin the top bar of the eyewear frame and wherein the displaystructure is located entirely between the pair of major faces of thelens, so that the display mechanism is physically incorporated entirelywithin a structure of the eyewear device, no part of the projector orthe display structure projecting from the exterior of either the eyewearframe or the pairs of lenses.
 11. the eyewear device of claim 5, whereinthe volume of the lens is further bounded by a peripheral edge face thatextends transversely between the major faces and that extendsperipherally around the lens, and wherein the projector is arranged toproject display light into the optical medium provided by the lens viathe peripheral edge face.
 12. The eyewear device of claim 11, whereinthe projector is located immediately above an upper portion of theperipheral edge face of the lens, such that display light emitted by theprojector directly enters the optical medium via the peripheral edgeface.
 13. The eyewear device of claim 2, wherein display structuredefines a display area that is elongate, having a lengthwise dimensionthat extends substantially laterally across at least a part of a fieldof view of the wearer.
 14. The eyewear device of claim 13, wherein thedisplay area substantially spans the wearer's field of view width-wise.15. The eyewear device of claim 13, wherein the display area is locatedsubstantially centrally within the field of view of the wearer.
 16. Anear-eye display system comprising: a lens configured for use in anear-eye position in which the lens occupies a field of view a user, sothat a user-perspective view of an ambient environment is affordedthrough the lens, the lens providing an optical medium for display lighttraveling within the lens, and the lens being transmissive to ambientlight; a display structure that is located within the lens and that isconfigured to direct into view of the user display light incidentthereon while traveling within the optical medium provided by the lens,the display structure being transmissive to ambient light travelingthrough the lens; and a projector that is configured to project displaylight for computer-generated imagery directly into the optical medium,such that the display light travels via the optical medium provided bythe lens on to the display structure, from where the display light isdirected by the display structure towards the user.
 17. The displaysystem of claim 16, wherein projector and the lens are arranged suchthat the display light travels from the projector on to the displaystructure exclusively via the optical medium provided by the lens. 18.The display system of claim 16, wherein a volume of the lens thatprovides the optical medium is bounded by a pair of substantiallyparallel major faces that are oriented transversely to a viewingdirection through the lens, direction of travel of the display lightwithin the optical medium being substantially parallel to the pair ofmajor faces.
 19. The display system of claim 18, wherein the displaystructure is embedded wholly within the optical medium of the lens, nopart of the display structure projecting from either or the pair ofmajor faces of the lens.